February 25, 2008

Hey guys!

Just a quick post to say, I’ve been wearing bras to bed on and off ever since I’ve been allowed wear underwire and ‘normal’ bras (a.k.a not the pointy cone sports bras) and it’s not something I would recommend, at least this soon post-op (three months for me). I’m not wearing them on purpose– you know sometimes you just fall into bed in a t-shirt and forget to take your bra off. I always wore bras to bed pre-op, don’t know why, habit I guess. But lately I have to remind myself to take it off at night because, unless it’s a soft bra, I get little twinges underneath my boobs, where the underwire is pressing in. It’s probably not a good idea to wear underwire too much even months after the op– it does push against the healing implant.So, from now on, it’s soft bras or nothing for me at night.Fascinating, I know…but just wanted to spare some of you the slight pain!

February 21, 2008

Hello everyone! Once again I have been bad with my updates, but hey, I’ve been having too much fun with my new boobs to worry about it! (Ew, that sounds pretty disgusting….I don’t mean I was having fun on my own…although, I DO like to look down and go oooohhh I have breasts! Still a surprise sometimes!) Anyway, so I’m approaching three months post-op and my, how time flies when you’re recovering from breast surgery…when I think of the week before my op it’s all hazy and weird. I was pretty freaked out at times. Then afterwards I was tired, and a bit sore, and taking painkillers, and worrying about how they would look, so I didn’t really stop to think of the future and how they would look in a few months and years. It’s only now I realise how happy I really am with them. Sure, I mentioned that occasionally I get slightly annoyed with the continuing perception some people have of this procedure but mostly I’m just delighted I did it. I’m going to post pictures VERY SOON but I can tell you they are almost completely in my natural, pre- op shape (not really high and ‘stuck-on’ looking) and they continue to soften. The outsides of each one are much softer, and underneath, where the scars are, is the hardest place. But even that is much softer. Scars are still pretty visible but I think the Bio- Oil has reduced the redness. I don’t know if they look really fake or not…they definitely look less fake than they did week 1, when they looked like Posh- style baloons….but I think they still have an element of fakeness….which will continue to fade. So, anyone reading this who is currently in week 1 and feeling pretty miserable (believe me, I remember), take heart– it passes, and soon you’ll look and feel great. Happy boobies! xx

February 21, 2008

I’ve written about this before on here– about how other people perceive breast implants on women– and it’s something I still occasionally wonder about.

Because I am happy with my surgery, I honestly am not bothered if someone has a problem with it, or thinks I’m a slut, whatever (I have gotten these emails, seriously.)

What I do think about is where these perceptions have come from and why they are still around. I have only gotten good ‘reviews’ of my boobs but I still wonder, what do they say about me to other people? Why is there an image in the media of boob jobs = cheap, trashy, pathetic, slutty, blah blah idiots.

All the (two) guys who’ve actually seen and felt mine thought they were great, and my friends and family think they’re great. I do get the occasional “they’re pretty hard” comments but hey, I’m only three months post-op.

The second guy I told/showed them to/had sex with since my surgery said to me: “Fair play to you– it’s a big deal, isn’t it, deciding to do this…” and stuff like that. I was like, WHY is it a big deal? It really isn’t. You want to change your body, you have money, you do it. Finished. But for some reason, some people I know think getting a boob job means I’m a different person than they thought I was.

I also think it’s about breast size in general. Women are perceived differently depending on their boob size, whether we like it or not. I didn’t get this done so other people would look at me differently. In fact, the only negative thing to come out of this (and honestly it’s a tiny thing and not a regret) is that I do think some people ARE looking at me differently. Am I paranoid for some reason? Anyone reading this with implants who has had a negative reaction, let me know.

I found this study online when I was searching for articles on this topic…it’s about how a woman’s breast size affects people’s perceptions of her. I’ll just quote the whole abstract here.

From the study “Biggest Isn’t Always Best: The Effect of Breast Size on Perceptions of Women” (From the Journal of Applied Psychology, Volume 32, Issue 11, November 2002),

“Research has demonstrated preferences for medium and large breasts and a tendency to associate positive attributes with larger breasts. Findings have been limited, however, by use of stimuli that do not depict women realistically or in a credible context.

In the current study, a female actor’s breast size was manipulated to create four videotapes (bra cup sizes A, B, C, and D) in which she delivered a speech. Participants viewed one of the four videotapes and rated the actor on social and professional characteristics.

Males perceived the actor more favorably on both professional and social characteristics when she had a medium breast size, whereas females were generally not influenced by breast size.

Findings are related to the popularity of methods to enhance breast size and the need for awareness of the potential impact of breast size on how women are perceived.”

February 12, 2008

In the past few weeks, I’ve gotten loads of nice emails and comments asking me questions about my surgery and my recovery, and I want to answer them because I remember how panicked and worried I was at times before my surgery. And after.
So, one that comes up a lot is worry about size and swelling. Before my surgery I was pretty clear to my surgeon that I did not want to be that big, so when I woke up and groggily looked down I was actually surprised by how kind of high and perky they were. As day 1 and 2 went on they continued to swell. I was then perscribed an anti-inflammatory drug called Difene by my surgeon to reduce pain and swelling. I had 260cc implants put in behind the muscle, remember, so right after surgery I was a D cup. There is more pain and swelling from behind the muscle jobs.
But swelling is completely normal, and actually, one of the nurses told me that it’s more weird if there is NO swelling. (I really need to look up ‘swelling’ in a thesaurus and come up with an alternative…)
If anyone is in their first week of recovery and is sore and swollen, honestly, stop worrying. Talk to your doctor about taking an anti- inflammatory, or maybe take an over the counter one like ibuprofen. But obviously check with a doctor/pharmacist about safety, etc. Use ice-packs to decrease swelling and bruising, or bags of frozen fruit or veg if you like. Sleep upright and keep your arms elevated on pillows or cushions, this will also help reduce swelling.
It won’t last– it can take a month to pass, and even up to 3 months, according to my PS. He told me I wouldn’t see my actual final result until SIX months after my surgery. But I’m over two months now and I’m actually happy with them already. I don’t want them to de-swell more!
Just relax and wait it out, that’s all we can do. We were cut open, had something shoved into our chest, then sewed back up– of course we will be swollen! It’s the body’s natural healing process, and when it’s over, man is it worth it…

February 11, 2008

First, sorry again for the not updating– for numerous boring reasons I haven’t really had a chance. But I’m back, and even better, I should have some more pics up soon.
Anyway, so I went to my two month post-op review with my surgeon and he was delighted with his work, if he does say so himself. I told him about my occasional left arm pain (which is gone now) and he said it is completely normal and happens as my nerves kind of re-ignite, or get working again. (I’m sure there’s an actual medical term for that but I’m too lazy to Google it).
Both boobs have softened up a lot in the past few weeks, so maybe that’s what the twinges were. The PS also said they looked pretty natural, and told me to come back in one year for further review. Yay!

Also, I had sex again on Saturday night (let me just say, at the risk of people thinking I’m a complete slut or something, that before this year I had a loooong dry spell. Main reason? My lack of confidence of course! I’m not saying people should get a boob job to improve their sex lives, but really, it’s amazing how much my confidence has improved, and THAT is something guys notice, not just the boobs. I walk with my shoulders back and my head high, not slightly hunched over, tugging at my top.)
Yeah, so it was with a guy I’ve actually known for years…who I like a lot. We were lying in my bed deliberating on whether having sex would ruin our friendship (as you do) when I just burst out, “Ihadaboobjobinnovember.” He confrimed my new-found realisation that people’s reactions to this news are generally good! NO ONE I have told has reacted badly, or with weirdness. He was interested and gave me the “Fair play for taking the risk, do what you gotta do” speech. Double yay!
Also he kind of loved them– I said, you know they’re still not as soft as real ones…but he didn’t care because he said they felt great. He then took an almost clinical view of them, running his hands over the scars (which he said aren’t bad looking), pressing the inner corners where the implant ‘starts’, etc. Then he started….mmmmmmm. Sorry that bit is not to be shared 🙂

In general, people have noticed that my boobs have grown a bit. But it’s not negative and no one is jumping down my throat going “YOU HAD PLASTIC SURGERY!!” Some of my frends just said, hey, your boobs look great, you (finally) got a pair! Hehe. But I’m soooo happy with them. I love that I can look brilliant in nice dresses and tops, I love walking around in a t-shirt and no bra and having lovely round, non-saggy boobs, I love my new body confidence…..so for anyone worried about ANYTHING, just remember 1. why you want to get it done and 2. It will all be worth it….